Reincarnated as an Instructor in an Adult Game

Chapter 90: A Refreshingly Bold Liar

When I entered the tavern, a single brown-haired man was bent over, talking to Croana and Lea.

The adventurers in the tavern were also quietly watching the man.

From the way he spoke, the man seemed panicked.

Croana and Lea noticed me entering the tavern, and the man straightened his back and turned around.

He was a little shorter than me, with a slender, well-trained body and the impression of a nice young man.

It was exactly the appearance I had seen in the game, the one who had supported Roy many times.

I let out a small sigh and asked the man, who looked somewhat flustered.

"I’m Raide, the owner of Suzuya. Is something wrong?"

"I’m Grug. Have you taken in two white-haired women here?"

"...We have."

"Let me see them!"

"I refuse."

Grug, with a desperate expression, pressed closer at my words, but I held out one arm to stop him.

Just in case, I quietly asked Roy behind me to go confirm.

Roy nodded seriously and quietly left the tavern.

Grug, apparently anxious, moved his hands busily as he spoke to me.

"Why!? This has nothing to do with you, right!?"

"It does have something to do with me. I’m the one who took them in. There’s no way I’d let you meet two people who are that exhausted, right?"

"They’ll feel better once they see me!"

Hm? Was Grug supposed to be a narcissistic character?

I tilted my head and observed Grug suspiciously.

If he was worried and panicked, he should have rushed to Suzuya.

There was no carriage outside, so he must have run.

...Yet he isn’t sweating at all?

Could he be acting?

I kept my eyes on Grug and spoke with a suspicious expression.

"Just in case... I’ve heard the situation from the two of them."

"...!?"

"One thing bothers me... Who told you they were at Suzuya?"

"Th-that’s..."

I found Grug’s evasive, shifty-eyed behavior suspicious and beckoned Croana and Lea over.

I asked them to check whether Foria and Sync were wearing any magic tools and nodded as they left the tavern.

I’ve never heard of tracking magic tools, but it’s better to be safe.

There are two helpers in the tavern, and the inside has quieted down.

So sending Croana and Lea to check shouldn’t be a problem.

"After hearing the story, I definitely can’t let you meet them... You understand, right?"

"N-no, that’s wrong! It’s a misunderstanding!!"

"...About what?"

"I have nothing to do with the noble’s daughter!!"

"That’s a lie, isn’t it?"

At Grug’s strong, desperate appeal, Fia’s quiet voice denied it from behind my right side.

Her voice was low enough that only I could probably hear it.

When I glanced that way, Fia looked up at me with a mischievous smile.

It seemed she had activated her magic that could only be used for a few hours a day to detect lies.

In that case, I asked Grug a question.

"You didn’t sleep with the noble’s daughter?"

"That’s right!"

"Lie."

"You hurried to Suzuya, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Lie."

"...You care deeply for the two of them?"

"I love them!!"

"...Lie. You really are a refreshingly bold liar, aren’t you?"

Grug seemed to hear Fia’s voice and took a startled step back.

Fia looked at Grug with an exasperated expression and glanced at me.

Her eyes seemed to say there was no need to hold back.

I smiled wryly at Fia’s look, tightened my expression, and spoke to Grug.

"I won’t let you meet them. Go home, Grug."

"Such... You’re going to believe what a child says!? The one lying is... Hii!?"

"Shut up. If you keep talking, I’ll consider you an enemy."

I readied myself, released killing intent, and glared at Grug.

I can somewhat understand Grug’s feelings — Fia looks like a young girl.

But that’s no reason to call her a liar, and if he’s innocent he should calmly deny it.

The Grug I knew from the game was a calm man in situations like this.

In the tense atmosphere, Roy returned.

Roy came to my side, looked at my face, quietly shook his head, then looked at Grug and spoke with a calm expression.

"A message from Sync."

"A-ah... Aah, what did Sync say!?"

"She never wants to see your face again."

"Wha-, eh? Why...?"

Shocked by the message, Grug made a face of despair.

I don’t understand — why did he think he would be forgiven?

I think having a relationship with the noble’s daughter was fine in itself.

But if he hadn’t messed up the order, this probably wouldn’t have happened.

Roy approached Grug and handed him something.

Then, staying on guard, he returned to my side and spoke.

"The magic power has been destroyed. ...It seems they themselves didn’t know about it?"

"N-no, that’s wrong... This is necessary in case we get separated during travel..."

"Even so, you should have told them, right? This is... basically a collar."

Roy spoke with undisguised disgust, spitting the words as he stared at Grug.

So it seems some kind of tracking magic had been placed on the item.

A collar... Indeed, it’s no wonder it would be called that.

I let out a big sigh and spoke to Grug.

"You can take your peerage or do whatever you like, but never come to Suzuya again."

"...Understood."

Grug seemed to struggle internally for a while, then lowered his face and suddenly became quiet.

He slightly raised his gaze, glared at me, passed by my side, and left the tavern.

I followed Grug outside and asked something that suddenly bothered me to his back, which carried a sense of melancholy.

"You’re Grug, right?"

"...Obviously."

"Lie."

Fia, who had somehow appeared beside me, muttered with an exasperated wry smile.

Grug glanced at me with eyes full of anger and left the grounds of Suzuya.

If I leave Grug alone like this, the probability of problems arising is high.

I’ve seen that kind of thing plenty of times in the game.

"Sharle, are you there?"

"Yes."

At my murmured call, Sharle replied near my ear.

It’s good that she replies, but I wish she’d stop doing it right next to my ear — my body twitched a little.

Sharle seemed to find my reaction amusing and chuckled softly.

I smiled wryly and asked Sharle for a favor.

"I want you to investigate the noble’s daughter and Grug."

"Sure. Besides, there’s something that bothers me too."

"...Something that bothers you?"

"Yes... In the worst case, he might not receive a peerage."

"I won’t ask for details."

"Fufu, please don’t."

A warm breeze brushed my cheek, telling me Sharle had left.

I sighed and looked at Fia, who had a surprised expression while staring at a nearby rooftop.

I looked that way too, but there was nothing there.

When I tilted my head and returned my gaze to Fia, she looked at me with rare half-lidded eyes and spoke.

"You... What did you do?"

"...What’s this all of a sudden?"

"...Never mind. Come on, let’s help in the tavern?"

I nodded with a wry smile at Fia’s words, turned around, and started walking toward the tavern.

I placed one hand on Roy’s shoulder as he followed behind me. Roy shifted his gaze from the direction Grug had left to my face.

At Roy’s indescribable expression, I simply smiled without saying anything. Roy returned a wry smile.

When I asked him to help in the tavern for a change of pace, Roy, who had finally regained some energy, smiled and nodded.